Time to revive one of the oldest and most popular tags among bloggers: the "What's in your bag/purse" tag!

In fact I think that the person who "officially" first tagged me for this, is Tali @The Gloss Goss - yet another tag I never did in time! But, better late than never, right?

So, if you wish to take a peek inside my handbag, please keep reading!

The bag I'm using at the moment is this khaki Zara handbag, that I bought a couple of months ago on ebay (have to let my beloved Kooba rest every now and then). It's quite large and fits all the stuff I carry with me on a daily basis quite nicely.

Namely, a lipgloss by YSL (which if you didn't know by now is one of my favourite brands when it comes to lip products)!

YSL's Golden Gloss in No 10, Golden Peony, is a shimmering, light neutral pink lipgloss. Shimmering being the operative word here, because, let me tell you, the amounts of golden shimmer contained in this lipgloss are not for the faint-hearted!

It even shows up on these photos and, as most of us know, catching the shimmer on pictures is not the easiest task - so, you can only imagine how that translates in real life.

Here's a few more swatches of it.

From what you can see, it applies on the sheer side, which is a bit of a let-down, however the golden flecks are still much noticeable! Like other YSL Golden Glosses, I found that it applies smoothly, has a nice mango scent and is moisturising, with moderate stickiness.

One thing that I recently(!) discovered is that all the Golden Glosses by YSL contain 0,2‰ of 24 ct gold - now, that is a miniscule amount, but it definitely adds to the whole luxurious feel!

Obviously, the biggest disadvantage of these lipglosses is the price. However, if you're looking to treat yourself to a super (and I mean super) shimmery lip product, well, do keep this in mind!

What do you think of YSL's Golden Glosses? And where do you stand on shimmering ones in general? Any recommendations for more affordable options (and yes, I'm still on glossout 2011 people, but can't hurt to ask, right)? :)

If you follow me on twitter, you’d already know that I was looking for a good volumising spray not too long ago, since my hair has been rather limp lately. From my online research, I came to the conclusion that Bumble and Bumble and Aveda make really good volumising sprays, but none of those brands are readily available in my country and I didn’t want to order online, as I was going away for the holidays.

So, I went for this Kerastase one (classic salon brand) instead and I‘m really liking it so far. It does make my hair more voluminous without weighing it down or making it greasy and the results are there after a night’s sleep too. Overall very pleased with it.

2. Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicata blush.

Delicata falls into the neutral blush category - I'd say it's a light brown rose with a subtle shimmer. I don't have a lot to say about it, it's very flattering, matches a variety of makeup looks and photographs well (tried and tested). If your complexion is light/pale and you're looking for a nice neutral blush, then look no further!

3. MAC Intriguing Scarlet: 6 Warm Eyes.

Some of you may remember this from a couple of years ago, it was the warm palette from the Passions of Red holiday collection. Beautiful selection of warm-toned eyeshadows and ideal for the festive holiday season! Naturally, I had to dig it out!

4. Essie Limited Addiction.

I’ve already talked about this rich shade of red here. What I can add is that my toes have been loving it this winter. I take it off only to reapply it, I think that says it all!

5. Jemma Kidd Air Kiss lipgloss trio.

Gimmicky: check (I mean, have you seen a lipgloss trio in a holster case?).

Convenient: triple check, as it includes three non sticky, easily wearable lipglosses to choose from.

Sassy is a light bubblegum pink, Undress is a caramel shade and Rendezvous is a more neutral beige pink, pretty much all you’d need to throw in your (travel) makeup bag. They’re all shimmery (but nothing chunky) and they have a very pleasant citrusy scent. Personally speaking, I consider these as some of the best lipglosses I’ve ever tried.

I 'm talking of course about Haus of Gloi, a brand dedicated to making 100% vegan and cruelty free home-made bathing goods, from soaps and scrubs to perfume oils and body lotions.

For starters, I chose 2 sample size jars from their Yuletide '10 collection, Eggnoggin Bubbling Scrub and Snow Wold Pumpkin Butter, as it would be pointless to get the full sized products without knowing if I 'd like the scents first. Note that Haus of Gloi sample jars are 56 gr. each, which is more than enough to see if you 'd like them. Personally, I 'd classify these as deluxe/travel size containers.

And with what limited perfume describing skills I may have, I 'll try to give you a rough idea:

Eggnoggin is described as "The Haus 'nog! Cream, sugar and a shot of dark rum topped with fresh grated nutmeg".

At first I was afraid this was going to be a very sweet scent, more than I could handle. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Granted, it is sweet, but not overly so, and when applied on the skin the scent becomes milder compared to what you smell when you open the jar. Eggnoggin to me is like a cross between Baileys cream licqueur and good old bubblegum, foody, but extremely pleasant. I can see myself using this up in no time.

From what you can imagine, it's extremely rich and woody, due to the fir and cedar and quite strong, thanks to the frankincense. It's quite a masculine/unisex scent - and oddly reminds me of my grandfather. However, it transforms almost completely when applied, the woody notes are hugely toned down to give their place to a gorgeous soft mix of frankincense and vanilla. I 'm very glad that it changes to that with my body chemistry, since I found the initial...alpine forest impression a little overwhelming.

Of course perfume is completely subjective, you have to try it to see how you feel about it. Perfume aside, it would be a mistake by me not to mention that the formulas are amazing!

The bubbling scrub provides a gentle, yet effective exfoliation, while it lathers, leaving your skin extra clean and smooth and the pleasantly lightweight pumpkin butter keeps even dry skins like mine well moisturised without unpleasant stickiness (personally, I've placed these right up there with my Korres ones and you know how much I love those).

The Yuletide collection will be up until the 7th of January, so hurry up and make the most of it while you can! Me, I 'm already waiting for a little Hearth and Parkin to come my way!

And since the new year offers us a chance for a new start, I thought it would be fitting to share with you my 2011 makeup resolutions!

So, in 2011 I aim to:

1. Improve my makeup application skills. Which do not completely suck per se, but they're definitely not stellar either, something which is quite noticeable in my eye makeup looks. Plenty of room for improvement here.

2. Embark on a project: Glossout 2011. Following the lead of many YT-ers who did this last year (I think it was vanewpc who first started it), I 'll be banning myself from any lipgloss purchases for the whole of 2011. I'm only allowing myself to buy clear lipgloss IF I absolutely need it for a makeup look, but that's it. What led me to this you may ask? This:

Nough said (and there's a good couple layers below all that too)!

3. Finally discover the skincare routine that benefits my combination, acne prone skin the most. I 've been suffering from nasty breakouts almost since last summer and I 'd love to change that. This will require some patience, no doubt, but I feel up to the task.

4. Stop being a fake lash n00b. I'm almost completely useless when it comes to applying false eyelashes - I need a ton of practice. I wanted to become a little more skilled within 2010, but that didn't happen. Perhaps 2011 will witness some change in that.

So, those were my makeup resolutions for the new year. Don't be surprised if you see skincare, fake lash or lipgloss update posts in the future - you'd know the reason!